Anthem of the Seas to sail out of Southampton?

Posted on 20 November, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Anthem of the Seas steel cutting ceremony held

Just before Royal Caribbean celebrated the keel-laying of Quantum of the Seas today, another milestone was reached for another brand new cruise ship. Sister ship Anthem of the Seas had her first steel-cutting at Meyer Werft shipyard’s laser centre.

The steel-cutting for Quantum of the Seas took place in February 2013 and today’s event is the next step for Anthem of the Seas, which has been relatively quiet in terms of news about her.

Delivery of Anthem of the Seas is scheduled in the spring 2015.

UPDATE 11:09AM: Royal Caribbean President and CEO Adam Goldstein commented on the ceremonies for both Anthem of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas today, “Today is a very special day in the development of our new Quantum class, as we are now two steps closer to delighting guests around the world with Quantum cruising. It’s incredibly rewarding to see Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas coming together so well, and today we not only honor these two very important milestones, but also recognize the years of hard work and dedication from the team developing these ships.”

More proof Anthem of the Seas to sail out of Southampton

Royal Caribbean has been quiet on details related to its second Quantum class ship, Anthem of the Seas, to this point but we may know a little more about where this new cruise ship is going.

A schedule of cruises from the Port of Le Havre, France shows a number of ports of call by Anthem of the Seas in 2015, which gives more evidence that Anthem of the Seas will be based out of Southampton, England.

Upon further inspection, the schedule of calls to Le Havre matches Independence of the Seas’ current itineraries for 2014. Some are speculating that Anthem of the Seas will replace Independence of the Seas.

If you have your doubts about this information being accurate, keep in mind we saw a similar occurence with Quantum of the Seas in February when the Port of St Maarten posted a schedule similar to Le Havre with Quantum of the Seas listed and that turned out to be accurate.

MSC Cruises set to double UK capacity next autumn

Posted on 11 September, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Cruises set to double UK capacity next autumn

By Hollie-Rae Merrick

MSC Cruises is set to double its capacity from the UK in autumn next year, with a second ship operating out of Southampton.

The line’s product and operations director Oliviero Morelli said the decision demonstrated a commitment to the British market.

The cruise line is sending a second ship, MSC Magnifica, to join MSC Opera in Southampton, for four seven-night cruises in September and October 2014.

The seven-night cruises, covering five Northern Europe destinations including Zeebrugge, Amsterdam and Hamburg, will start from £429.

Morelli said: “MSC continues demonstrating its commitment to the British market by bringing a second and bigger ship to the English shores for the very first time.

“In addition to MSC Opera already based in Southampton during the summer 2014, MSC Magnifica is providing additional capacity to a market that has considerably grown in the recent years.

“MSC Cruises has also seen a sustained increase of its own bookings and, with MSC Magnifica, is hoping to respond to the demand of its own customers.”

The vessel has a maximum capacity of 2,518 guests, with a choice of 17 bars and five restaurants on board.

The cruises include free parking in Southampton or free coach transfers. The sailings will embark from Southampton on September 17, September 24, October 1 and October 8.

Carnival exec foresees rebound

Posted on 15 June, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival exec foresees rebound

By Tom Stieghorst

SOUTHAMPTON, England — The vice chairman of Carnival Corp., Howard Frank, said smoother seas are ahead for the world’s biggest cruise company.

Carnival has been buffeted by weak demand and negative publicity since February when an engine fire on the Carnival Triumph made headlines.

Prices for Carnival’s flagship brand have since dropped 15-20% in the estimation of some Wall Street analysts.

Interviewed here prior to the naming ceremony of the Royal Princess, the latest Princess Cruises ship, Frank said, “I think we’ve bottomed, from the standpoint of the business.”

Frank said weekly surveys of consumer sentiment commissioned by Carnival are also starting to get better. That is at odds with a recently released Harris Interactive poll that showed continued erosion in consumer sentiment about seven cruise brands.

Frank said Carnival’s survey asks different questions and is more current than the Harris data from May. But he said the recovery will be gradual.

“I don’t think that you turn the Costa situation or the Carnival situation around overnight,” he said.

“Some of it is just time,” he added. “We’ve had a number of incidents.”

The $735 million Royal Princess was named by the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, in a pierside ceremony documented by 110 media representatives, Princess officials said.

“We’re pleased to provide a good news story for the industry,” said Jan Swartz, Princess’ executive vice president of marketing.